Graduate College Research Certification

Research Certification 2019-2020 Cohort

The Graduate College Research Certification (GCRC) is a free, year-long professional development program that provides graduate and select undergraduate students with the skills and knowledge necessary to initiate, conduct, and successfully conclude research projects. Once accepted into the program, participants must be actively working on a research/creative/scholarly activity. Students must also complete a minimum of 6 approved campus workshops, attend all mandatory cohort meetings, present their research/creative/scholarly activity, and then complete their culminating experience which is a research portfolio. There are three components to the research portfolio: 1.) scholarly research statement; 2.) self-reflection of the research/creative/scholarly activity during the program duration; and 3.) Individualized Development Plan (IDP). The GCRC workshops are designed to foster intellectual discussion of ethical issues in conducting research, as well as to provide insight and training on best research practices. The GCRC is a collaborative effort between the Office of Research Integrity, UNLV Libraries, UNLV Writing Center, the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Professional Development Committee of the Graduate Council, GPSA, and the Graduate College.

Statement of Intent, which addresses the following question: Why do you believe that gaining skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective researcher will help you obtain your professional and career goals? One page minimum.

CV/resume

The completed application packet is due by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2019. It must be submitted to the front office of the Graduate College (FDH #352). Once applications have been reviewed and approved, accepted GCRC applicants will receive an email confirmation of admission to the GCRC via their Rebelmail account.

Program Requirements

All program requirements need to be completed in full by the student in order to complete the program, receive a certificate of completion, and have the GCRC completion noted on their UNLV transcript.

Once accepted into the program, participants must be actively working on a research/creative/scholarly activity throughout program duration.

Students must attend all cohort meetings, which include: (1) an introductory meeting in August; (2) a meeting at the end of the Fall semester; (3) a meeting at the beginning of the spring semester; and (4) a meeting at the end of the academic year.

Students must attend a minimum of 6 workshops that are regularly scheduled in the fall and spring terms.

Undergraduate students in the GCRC program must submit to and present their research/creative/scholarly activity at either a university-level research forum or a professional conference.

Graduate students in the GCRC program must present their research/creative/scholarly activity in the Rebel Grad Slam.

GCRC students must complete all components of the research portfolio, which include:

Scholarly Research Statement

Individualized Development Plan (first draft will be due during the fall semester)

Self-reflection of the research/creative/scholarly activity during the program duration

Students must submit the GCRC Workshop Attendance Form at the end of each semester in order to receive credit for workshops attended during the respective semester. For the fall semester, the form should be submitted by study week. For the spring semester, the form should be submitted by the final cohort meeting when the research portfolios are presented. This form must be submitted even if no workshops were completed during the semester.

Finally, GCRC students must submit their research portfolios at the end of the spring semester (typically a meeting is held towards the end of April/ early May). They will provide feedback on another program participant’s portfolio. In addition, they will also receive written feedback from a program participant as well as general feedback from a Graduate College Faculty Fellow.

Portfolios need to be submitted by: Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Written evaluation of another program participant needs to be submitted at the final meeting

Research Presentation Requirements

Undergraduate students in the GCRC program must submit to and present their research/creative/scholarly activity at either a university-level research forum or a professional conference. Graduate students in the GCRC program must submit to and present their research/creative/scholarly activity at the Rebel Grad Slam.

Rebel Grad Slam

Graduate students in the GCRC must present their research/creative/scholarly activity at the Rebel Grad Slam. If they cannot present at this venue, then they may fulfill the research presentation requirement by presenting at a professional conference (please see below for additional information). However, they need to receive prior approval from the program manager.

Professional Conference

If graduate students cannot participate in the Rebel Grad Slam, then with permission, the students may present their research/creative/scholarly activity at a professional conference in their field in order to fulfill the presentation requirement. In order to obtain permission, please email gradrebel@unlv.edu.

Undergraduate students who cannot participate at a university-level research forum can, with permission, present their research/creative/scholarly activity at a professional conference in their field in order to fulfill the presentation requirement. In order to obtain permission, please email gradrebel@unlv.edu.

Program participants must submit a copy of the conference acceptance letter and a copy of the conference program showing their name and presentation, along with a signed GCRC Completion Form, to the Graduate College by the time the research portfolios are presented at the end of the spring semester.

Program Policies

Students must apply and be admitted before they can begin participating in the GCRC.

Once admitted, students must complete all program requirements in one academic year with their cohort.

All cohort meetings are mandatory.

If a student is not in good standing in their degree program, or if they create any problems as a participant in the GCRC, they may be removed from the program at the discretion of the graduate college dean.

Workshop Policies

These workshops are free.

No campus workshops or courses taken prior to admission to the GCRC may be counted toward the program. All workshops that count towards the GCRC must be completed within one year (program duration).

Students may only get credit for GCRC workshops that they RSVP for at least 24 hours in advance.

Only workshops or courses that are successfully completed in full will count toward the program. To successfully complete a session, GCRC students must arrive on time, stay for the entire session, and be awake and engaged throughout the workshop. Any assigned work must be completed by the deadline.

GCRC workshops carry no academic credit and do not appear on student transcripts.

Cohort Meetings

All cohort meetings are mandatory unless you have a documented excuse that has been approved. If you miss a cohort meeting, without prior permission, you may be removed from the program.

Spring 2019 Workshop Schedule

The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate College Research Certification. You must RSVP for all workshops at least 24 hours in advance. To RSVP, please click on the workshop below. This will send you to the calendar entry page, which has the RSVP information. A full list of Spring 2019 workshops can be found on the Graduate College Student Workshop Calendar.

Resources for the Research Process

Past Cohorts

Participating in Multiple Programs

Students are allowed to participate in multiple programs each academic year. However, the requirements for each program must be completed in full. We will allow one workshop to overlap for multiple programs if: 1.) there is justification that the workshop makes sense for multiple programs; and 2.) the student has asked the program manager in advance.